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Struggling to stay awake, stay focused, or feel alert during the day?
Excessive daytime sleepiness can be a sign of insufficient sleep, a sleep disorder, medication effects, or another underlying health issue. Dallas Sleep Health can evaluate your symptoms and help determine the appropriate next step.
Excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) is more than simply feeling tired. It refers to an ongoing tendency to feel unusually sleepy or to struggle to stay awake and alert during the day.
You may notice excessive sleepiness while reading, watching television, working, attending meetings, or during other normally wakeful activities.
Persistent daytime sleepiness can have many possible causes, including insufficient sleep, sleep disorders, medications, medical conditions, and irregular sleep schedules. A sleep evaluation can help determine whether an underlying sleep problem may be contributing to your symptoms.
Sleepiness is a tendency to feel drowsy, fall asleep, or struggle to remain awake and alert.
Fatigue is more often described as a lack of energy, motivation, or physical and mental stamina.
A person can experience one, the other, or both. Understanding the difference can help your sleep specialist determine what may be contributing to your symptoms.
There are many possible reasons someone may experience excessive daytime sleepiness.
You may want to discuss your symptoms with a sleep specialist if you regularly:
At Dallas Sleep Health, we look beyond daytime sleepiness itself to understand what may be contributing to your symptoms.
We discuss when your sleepiness occurs, how often it happens, and how it affects your daily life.
We look at your sleep schedule, sleep duration, nighttime symptoms, sleep quality, and other relevant factors.
Your sleep specialist may evaluate whether a sleep disorder, medication, medical condition, irregular sleep schedule, or another factor could be contributing.
Depending on your symptoms and clinical evaluation, sleep testing may be recommended to evaluate for an underlying sleep disorder.
Once the likely cause is identified, your sleep specialist can discuss appropriate treatment and next steps.
There is no single treatment for excessive daytime sleepiness.
Treatment depends on what is causing or contributing to your symptoms.
If an underlying sleep disorder is identified, treatment may include approaches appropriate for that condition. For example, obstructive sleep apnea may be treated with PAP therapy, oral appliance therapy, weight-management strategies when appropriate, or other treatments for selected patients.
Your sleep specialist can help determine which approach is appropriate based on your diagnosis and individual circumstances.
Consider a sleep evaluation if daytime sleepiness is persistent, interferes with your daily activities, or occurs even when you believe you are getting adequate sleep.
You should also discuss your symptoms with a sleep specialist if daytime sleepiness occurs along with:
A sleep specialist can help determine whether your symptoms may be related to an underlying sleep disorder.
Excessive daytime sleepiness is an unusually strong tendency to feel sleepy or struggle to stay awake and alert during the day.
No. Sleepiness is primarily a tendency to become drowsy or fall asleep, while fatigue is more often associated with low energy or reduced stamina. They can occur together but are not the same.
Yes. Excessive daytime sleepiness is a common symptom associated with obstructive sleep apnea, although not everyone with sleep apnea experiences it.
Sleep duration is only one part of healthy sleep. Sleep disorders, irregular schedules, medications, medical conditions, and other factors can contribute to daytime sleepiness even when you believe you are getting enough sleep.
Not necessarily. Your sleep specialist will determine whether sleep testing is appropriate based on your symptoms, medical history, and clinical evaluation.
Treatment depends on the underlying cause. If a sleep disorder is identified, treating that condition may help improve daytime alertness.
If you think you may have a sleep disorder, you don’t have to figure it out on your own.
Our team is here to help you understand your symptoms, determine whether testing is appropriate, and identify treatment options that fit your needs.
Better Sleep. Better Health. Better Life.
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